Opinion

POINT I COUNTERPOINT

U.S. Jewish Hypocrisy
Hurts Israeli Conversion

Chief Rabbi Thwarts
Religious Expression

Rishon Lezion/JTA

Reform movement's shock-
New York/JTA
ing acceptance of patrilineal
he news media have
descent. Intermarriage is,
e are
reported the vehe-
thankfully, far less of a problem
sad-
ment opposition of the
in the Jewish state.
American Conservative and
Moreover, despite strenu-
dened by the con-
Reform movements and Jewish
ous efforts, the Reform and
tempt that Rabbi
Federations of North America to
Conservative movements
Shlomo Amar,
the conversion bill proposed by
themselves have not taken root
Sephardic chief
Knesset Member David Rotem.
in Israel. They arose in reaction
rabbi of Israel,
Rabbi Shlomo
I find their opposition puzzling.
to post-Enlightenment pressure
expresses for
Amar
Within the framework of
on diaspora Jews. These pres-
Reform and
sures do not exist in Israel.
Conservative
Halachah, or Jewish law, the
Rotem bill expands the scope of
Non-Orthodox Israeli Jews
Judaism at this
conversion, prevents application
may be more or less observant
holiday season.
(masorti) or even totally secular (chiloni),
The Reform and Conservative move-
of stringencies unjustified by Halachah and
provides greater convenience, leniency and
but they do not need the crutch of identi-
ments in Israel are small, but vibrant
flexibility in the administration of Israeli
fication with non-halachic movements to
and growing rapidly. This growth comes
conversion courts. It addresses many issues sustain their Jewish nation-
despite longstanding Israeli
raised by Orthodox rabbis considered liber- al identities. Only 1 percent
government policy that fun-
al by the Israeli media and has their strong
identify with Reform or
nels taxpayers' money only to
support. It is strongly supported by Yisrael
Conservative Judaism.
Orthodox institutions, forcing
Government-
Beiteinu, the secular party that represents
Very few non-Jewish
Conservative and Reform
Russian Israelis.
Russian Israelis are inter-
Jews to fend for themselves.
recognized
The bill deserves unanimous sup-
ested in a Reform or
Government recognition and
conversions
port from everyone who genuinely
Conservative conversion,
equitable funding of Reform
cares about the welfare of 300,000 non-
regarding them as inau-
and Conservative rabbis and
to Judaism
Jewish Russian Israelis. But a segment
thentic. These movements
synagogues would lead to
performed in
of the leadership of Jewish Federations
are diaspora transplants
even faster growth; and polls
of North American and the American
that have withered in
consistently show that an
Israel have
Conservative and Reform movements
Israel's Jewish soil and
overwhelming majority of
been under
unleashed an artificial firestorm of oppo- failed in Israel's free mar-
Israelis favor such recognition.
sition, soliciting e-mails from members
ketplace of ideas.
Polls also demonstrate
the control of
the massive unpopularity
and letters from the U.S. Congress and
Rather than recognizing
the Orthodox-
successfully delaying passage of the bill.
that their lack of significant
among Israelis of the Chief
Opponents of the Rotem bill claim that
progress over the past 62
controlled Chief Rabbinate and its religious
it radically changes the status quo, placing years of Israeli statehood
bureaucracy, which sanc-
Rabbinate since tions discrimination against
power for state-recognized conversion in
is due to a flawed product,
the majority of world Jewry.
Israel in the hands of the Chief Rabbinate.
Conservative and Reform
the founding
Coercive, punitive, ineffi-
This is untrue. Government-recognized
leaders have chosen to
of the state in
blame the Chief Rabbinate.
cient and often corrupt, this
conversions to Judaism performed in
bureaucracy
has driven Jews
Israel have been under the control of the
Ignoring democratic prin-
1948.
from Judaism and brought
ciples, they have improperly
Chief Rabbinate since the founding of the
Torah into disrepute. We
state in 1948. The bill merely confirms
intervened on the Rotem
find it troubling that Rabbi Amar prefers
longstanding practice in response to court bill, a matter that affects only Israelis and
Israelis to be secular than to identify as
cases seeking to challenge the status quo.
not American Jews. The bill has no impact
Why did leaders of these American
outside of Israel.
passionate Jews through Reform and
Principles are not a suit of clothes to be
Conservative institutions.
Jewish groups take action they knew
The Conservative and Reform move-
donned and shed at convenience.
would hurt many Russian Israelis?
ments were backbones of the Soviet
They hoped to leverage their political
It is inconsistent for the Conservative
Jewry movement and have remained
power in the United States to force Israel
movement to insist that Israel recognize
deeply engaged in efforts to support
to accede to their parochial agenda —
Reform conversions performed without
namely, granting Reform and Conservative immersion in a mikvah or circumcision
Russian olim (immigrants) in Israel. We
when they do not recognize such conver-
have always supported those elements of
conversions the official recognition
the conversion bill proposed by Knesset
sions when performed in the United States.
accorded to Orthodox conversions.
member David Rotem that would add
The context of Jewish life in the United
The Reform movement, which argues for
flexibility to the current conversion sys-
the absolute separation of religion and state
States is very different from Jewish life
in the United States, inconsistently insists
tem and truly help those immigrants
in Israel. Rampant intermarriage in
interested in conversion.
the United States explains in large part,
upon official recognition of their spiritual
We doubt very much, however, that the
leaders by the government of Israel.
though in no way justifies, the push for
Rotem bill would have helped Russian
Even more puzzling is the position of
relaxed conversion standards and the

law now provides.
If the Chief Rabbinate were given total
authority over conversions, we know what
would happen: The rabbinate would use
this authority to change the definition of
conversion under the Law of Return, over-
turning the status quo by rejecting Reform
and Conservative conversions done in the
diaspora. Some Israeli rabbinical courts
already have begun to do this. The juris-
diction of the Israeli Supreme Court in
cases related to the rights of our converts
also would be greatly limited.
Under current law, we have yet to
lose such a conversion case before
the Supreme Court. But with the law
changed, the Chief Rabbinate would
reverse the results of our important past
victories.
This explains the alarm that swept
North American Jewry, where 85 percent
of Jews are non-Orthodox. Rabbi Amar
is fooling himself and his followers if he
thinks that our movements artificially
generated this anger. It was the heart-
felt response of Jews throughout North
America who were outraged by proposals
to reject the legitimacy of our rabbis and
of the way we practice our Judaism.
When Rabbi Amar asks why mem-
bers of the U.S. Congress should care
about this bill, he should remember that
the vast majority of the Jewish caucus
in Congress consists of Reform and
Conservative Jews. Indeed, there are 535
senators and representatives in Congress,
and the great majority of the rabbis they
know, the synagogues they visit and
the Jews who vote for them are Reform
and Conservative. They are gravely con-
cerned when our rabbis and movements
are delegitimized by the actions of the
Knesset.
If Rabbi Amar and others are worried
about the reactions of the American
Congress, they should remember this: It

POINT on page 31

COUNTERPOINT on page 31

T

AT ISS UE

30

September 30 • 2010

immigrants in a
significant way.
Because its demands
are so stringent, it is
likely that it would
have helped only a
few. And underlying
the rhetoric about
helping Russians
convert halachically
is a power play to
grant the Chief
Rabbinate far more
authority over con-
versions than Israeli